


Just a Scratch

by FleetingKisses



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Ambiguous Relationship, M/M, Marco the Cat, swears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2013-10-07
Packaged: 2017-12-28 16:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/993900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FleetingKisses/pseuds/FleetingKisses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean gets scratched, Eren gets scratched, Jean cries, Eren cries - world goes round.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was dusty that day. The evening sun made the chalky clouds all the more apparent. It was the second team’s day for horseback training and upon their return, the dirt road took a beating from Sasha and Connie’s race. Jean coughed under his breath as he returned from the stables.

He wasn’t a part of the second team, so he instead stayed at the Scouting Legion’s temporary castle and tending to duties there. They alternated between occupying the castle and various training to prepare for their trip to Shiganshina. It was already only a week away…

He thought about what might be there, wondering to himself as he milled back to the castle. Eren turning into a titan was the shock of a lifetime. Well, no actually, the walls falling were pretty shocking too. This whole year had enough shocks for ten lifetimes, he decided, when he realised he forgot the god damned storage key. Jean huffed and lopped the oat sack and watering pail to the ground as he turned to head back. 

The team assigned to cleaning the actual stalls – poor bastards – were already returning and they exchanged airy greetings as they passed. “Oh yeah, you forgot your key, we were gonna tell you to go get it when we saw you,” one called to him.

“Ha, yeah, I realised,” he called back. He clicked his tongue, and muttered, “And you couldn’t bring it back for me…?”

The stalls were clean though, he had to hand it to them. The horses were quiet, fed, lots of water in their troughs – you’re welcome horses, Jean thought. His assigned partner was injured during yesterday’s training and couldn’t walk, so it was all up to him to lug water to and from the well. It was like, thirty feet away…whatever, the key was on the stool next to the rear door, where Jean left it.

He didn’t leave right away. He sat down on the stool and put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He was thinking about all the work they’ve done lately, ever since getting Eren back and coming here. The crest on his chest seemed hollow. Everyone builds up joining the military to be some honour, but no one thought of it that way. Jean built it up to be a ticket to escape hardship, and now not even he had that luxury. This crest may as well have been worthless.

He sat back up, taking his face from in his hands, and looked about. There was nothing here for him, so he hopped to his feet and started for the exit. A cat jumped out, though, from behind the furthest stall. He abruptly stopped and watched it bat around a grey mouse. The cat caught it under its paws and its puffy tail swished about. When it let the mouse go, the mouse ran towards some hay, and the cat chased it again.

Jean grinned. It was cute. The mouse escaped though, and Jean approached the cat. It was white with brown dots on its back and face. One of it ears were brown too. He knelt a few feet from it and held his hand out. The cat, of course, didn’t pay attention and instead sniffed around. He took his hand back.

“Marco!” A voice came from outside the door. Jean looked up to see Eren.

“Oh, hey,” Jean perked up, the cat too looking up when Eren turned the corner.

“I thought everyone was supposed to done by now,” Eren said, walking in and stopping by the pole. The cat began licking its leg. “This is Marco, we had a mouse problem so Levi had some cats brought in. I was just bring him to the stalls, actually.”

“You named him Marco?” Jean asked, looking back at the little white cat.

“Oh, yeah, he was nicer than the other cats, and some of us thought we should name them after some of our friends,” Eren squatted and began to pet Marco. The cat stopped briefly to sniff Eren’s hand before resuming bathing himself. It looked natural, Jean thought.

“Huh. He’s cute,” Jean mused in a voice soft.

“I…sorry, I guess we should have let you choose which one to name Marco, huh?” Eren looked at Jean, Marco purring in his hand.

“No, it’s fine. Marco was all of our friend, including yours. It’s not like I owned him,” Jean inched closer, his hand hovering near Marco. He was still being ignored. “I thought you said he was nicer than the other cats,”

“He is! He let all of us hold him, and he never clawed us. It must just be you. Probably doesn’t like the way you smell.” Eren shrugged as if it were so simple.

“You smell worse than me! You smell like sweat and grime,” Jean shot back in a raised tone.

“I was training since dawn! You’re the one who was elbow deep in horse shit all day,” Eren’s hands formed fists, as they often did. Jean never usually formed fists – he wasn’t as instinctual as Eren was.

“I was on basement and feeding duty, dipshit!”

“Still, you were here hanging out in the stalls!”

“I-I forgot my key!”

“Still stink like shit!”

“Oh, fuck off!” Jean pushed Eren and Eren shouted and fell back, grabbing Jean’s collar. Jean caught himself but yelled and retreated. His hand was bleeding and there were four long, stinging gashes on the back of his hand. Marco the cat had already ran to the door, ears back as he looked around in fright and confusion.

“Fuck…” Jean said, glaring down at the cuts. Eren sat back up.

“Your fault for slamming your hand down on him,” Eren spit. Jean only looked at him, then turned away so his back was against the stall door. He took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the blood.

“Whatever,” Jean didn’t care. He didn’t. He glanced around for some water when Eren cried out as well. Startled, he saw Eren with scratches across his cheek.

“Fucking cat!” Eren’s voice was shaky. Marco was nowhere to be seen. Eren gasped sharply as he touched his scratches, glancing at Jean, then doing a double take. “…Aren’t you going to offer me your hankie?”

“What, why would I? You’re a fucking titan, those little cuts mean nothing to you,” Jean said. He was over his petty wounds now and was just lamenting his poor hand. Eren didn’t reply right away. Nor for many moments, actually.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s just a scratch,” he sat against the stall door too, his scratches already releasing minute amounts of steam and disappearing. His voice still wavered.

“Are you crying…?” Jean paused and went to look at him. Eren quickly faced away. The corner of Jean’s lips turned up in a lopsided grin, barely there, before he offered his handkerchief to Eren. Jean didn’t expect diehard, scrappy Eren to cry over something as insignificant that. Hell, he bit through the flesh of his palm every time he shifted – Jean admittedly tried it one day only to be greeted with pain. Lots of pain.

“It hurts a lot, okay?” Eren snatched the cloth when he peeked back, and wiped some tears.

“Y-yeah, I know,” Jean took the cloth back when Eren handed it to him. They sat there in pain for a while. Before Eren stood up and held out his hand to Jean.

“He really is a nice cat,” Jean said in sarcasm, taking Eren’s hand and rising to his feet. He tucked the handkerchief back into his rear pocket when Eren shook his hand.

“You can let go, you know,” Eren said, and Jean took his hand back quickly.

“A-ah, my bad.” Jean spluttered.

“C’mon, let’s go already and leave this stupid stall and its stupid cat,” Eren already began walking and Jean had to jog to catch up.

“You sure turned on him quickly,” Jean mused, seeing the pail and oat sack still where he left it. Those lazy asses from earlier couldn’t even bring that inside for him…was he really so unlikeable? No, they just had to be lazy…

“Whatever, he’s a dumb cat,” Eren kicked a rock. When they got to Jean’s supplies, Jean stopped to dab some blood again. Those gashes were really deep, actually. Jean resolved to visit a medic later to get it properly cleaned.

“Here, let me carry it,” Eren interrupted Jean’s thoughts, reaching for the big, heavy sack in Jean’s hands.

“No, I got it! It’s just a scratch. You think because a cat claws me, I can’t carry like 20 pounds?” Jean yanked the sack back. Eren glared at him.

“Well at least let me tie the cloth around your hand! You wanna bleed all over the oats?” Eren grabbed the wrist of Jean’s injured hand and reached around to feel for the handkerchief.

“W-what the fuck are you doing, Yeager!?” Jean jumped when Eren’s hand poked in and out of one of his back pants pockets.

“Shut up and let me do this!” Eren yelled in Jean’s face, finally finding the cloth. Jean went to push him away and pull his hand back and Eren went to pull the cloth out and keep Jean’s hand in place. Jean tried to stand but Eren pulled him back down, and their hot eyes met on another.

“L-let go of me!” Jean shouted in Eren’s face.

“I said to shut up!” Eren focused back onto getting the handkerchief in Jean’s pocket.

“F-fuck off!” Jean’s back arched and he squirmed Eren’s arm away.

“No!” Eren grabbed Jean’s shirt when Jean went to break off.

“Eren, fucking let-” Jean shut up when the air was knocked out of him. In their struggle, Jean tripped over the pail and he instinctively grabbed onto Eren. The two hotheads were now a mess on the ground. Jean winced – he hit his head on a pebble, not to mention he ended up being a cushion for Eren.

“You should have just…” Eren began, rising to his hands. He was leaning over Jean when he looked down. Mighty Jean was tearing up. “Jean, are you…”

“Shut up and get off of me already,” Jean nudged Eren with his knee. He sat up when Eren did too. He went to wipe his eyes when his hand was slapped away. He was about to fight Eren again when he noticed Eren was offering him their handkerchief.

“It’s already got some blood and tears on it, I think it could stand to use some more,” Eren said. He was still half on Jean, sitting in his lap. Jean felt his face heat up and he shoved Eren off of him. “Jean, what the-”

“Stand up already, we’re getting dirty and we’re gonna be late for stock counting,” Jean said, heated and picking up his supplies. He began walking to the door when Eren caught up to him.

“Geez, all that and you still didn’t let me wrap your hand,” Eren said under his breath. He prepared to be hit when Jean stopped suddenly, but a punch never came.

“Will it shut you up?” Jean said. Eren blinked, lowering his arm. Jean’s throat was a little tight despite himself.

“Mikasa showed me how to do it,” Eren explained as he took Jean’s hand in his and began to wrap the cloth around from back to front and around Jean’s thumb. Eren’s hands were warm, Jean thought as he looked away, like the setting sun. “You just tie it here and…done!”

“Th-thanks, Eren,” Jean said, still looking away. He could feel Eren’s big, bright eyes on him.

“Well c’mon, let’s go already. We still have dinner to eat and we need baths now too,” Eren picked up the oat sack in one hand and pulled Jean along with the other, leaving Jean’s to be occupied with holding Eren’s and with holding the empty pail.

And back at the stalls, Marco the cat caught his mouse.


	2. Just a Bruise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow up to Just a Scratch.

If Eren had been hurt at all today, there were no signs. He sat in the steaming bath, resting his head back against the much cooler stone. True to Jean’s words, their tussle – strike that, tussles – made them late for stock counting…and dinner…and then they had to, in their dusty clothes, refill the baths since everyone else had already bathed and the water was let out.

“Is it hot enough…?” Jean’s voice called from the stairwell leading to the fire room below. Eren yelled an affirmation back and put a facecloth over his eyes. It smelled of herbs.

“They didn’t use up all the wood, so we don’t have to do that, too,” Jean mumbled as he entered the tub. Eren could hear and feel the ripples as Jean sat opposite of him.

“Ah, what would even be the point, I’d just bathe in cold water,” he replied. He had a stiff neck ever since Hange tried to see how well he could function without the tissues connecting his human body to his titan body, which meant cutting in around him and nearly losing an arm. He lowered further into the water, the damp leaves used to give the water fragrance peeling off of his chest and drifting away.

“Yeah, yeah…” the ripples lulled out as Jean found a scrubbing brush, Eren guessed, and began to wash himself. “Where did you get those cats, anyways? I doubt captain Levi would round up strays,”

“I dunno, the people who stocked up our carts must’ve loaded them up ‘cause none of us did,” he could feel his arms and legs become lighter and the sensations become fuzzy. It was as if he was floating and his muscles were releasing, which they were, he guessed. Jean said something but Eren hardly even heard it.

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“Where’s the counters?” Eren asked, entering the stock room. It was long and dark and in the first floor basement, with shelves upon shelves stretching back at least 40 feet – it was more of a hall than anything.

“Dunno, here’s the checklists,” Jean said picking up a clipboard and paper and tethered pencil. There were four of them, one for each lane of shelves.

“Hello, you back there??” Eren squinted back as far as the lanterns would allow their light.

“There’s obviously no one back there, stupid, unless they’re sitting in the dark,” Jean’s voice was scratchy. It must have been from all the yelling they did. It was strange, Eren thought, how his was still smooth but Jean’s was strained. It could have been dust too…

“Oi, hey, Levi said you two are going to take stock tonight since you made everyone wait,” Dita said breezily as he waltzed through the door. “I nearly suggested we let the usual team count and then you two just run your supplies by them later, but it was pork night.”

“All I had was a well bucket and a sack of horse feed!” Jean threw his arm out, gesturing to the two measly items sitting pitifully on the floor beside his feet.

“I don’t even have anything!” Eren joined in. “Let Jean do it!”

“Eren!” Jean took a step back, shocked and appalled.

“Well, whatever, you two work it out, I’m going back to seconds. I’ll try to set aside a bowl for each of you,” and like that, their senior officer waved them off and started back up the stairs.

“This is your fault,” Jean looked away. His expression was disappointed and defeated.

“Just start counting,” Eren shoved a clipboard onto Jean’s chest, pushing him back another few steps, and started off to the far column. They still had the second stock room to do too…

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.  
.

“Well obviously not, they’d just grab you and eat you still,” Eren said.

“I’m just saying, if Hange thinks she can teach a titan communication, would it be such a stretch to ride one?” Jean shrugged. “Hey pass me the hair salve,”

“Get it yourself,”

“But it’s right next to you!”

“I’m relaxing!” Eren began in a raised voice again, but quickly stopped, “Jean, please, just get it yourself,” Jean went to say something, but settled for getting up and gliding over. The waters only reached up to the top of his waist at the deepest part, just enough for some shallow swimming. His reach brought him so close to Eren, his chest all up in Eren’s face.

“Hey, Jean, you thi-” Eren sat up suddenly and crashed into Jean. Before he knew it, he was jumping back. “Wh-” he went to say something but was splashed in the face and swallowed down water then coughed it back up instead. He stood up, wiping his eyes. “What are you doing!”

“What are you doing! I’m just grabbing the hair wash!” He jumped back too but tripped and went under. His hair stuck to his forehead and made him look like a drowned cat. Jean stood up, peeling a minty leaf from his eye.

“Oh. I didn’t know it was right behind me,” Eren pushed his hair back.

“I tried – I said – augh, forget it, just pass it – agh,” Jean gasped and lurched forward. He held his hip as he eased himself back onto the seating ledge.

“What’s the matter?” Eren pulled a flower petal from his mouth.

“I fell off my horse the other day and hurt my hip. It wasn’t even my horse! Someone put theirs in my stall and it bucked me off when I spurred it to speed up,” Jean took the jar of scented oil, poured some onto his hand, and began lathering his hair.

“Lemme see,” Eren said, leaning forward.

“See what?” Jean stopped and gave Eren a confused look.

“Your hip!”

“No!” Jean spluttered and turned away a bit to continue scrubbing his head.

“I’m not asking you to stand before me so I can inspect your body, I just wanna see how bad it is.” Jean would have protested, but Eren was pouting angrily and Eren knew Jean would give in.

“It’s just a bruise,” he stood and turned, revealing a large purple bruise on his left hip.

“Did it hurt all day?” Eren asked, leaning forward more and examining it.

“No, but I guess falling back like that put strain on it or something,” Jean couldn’t look at Eren look at him. When Eren sat back, he watched Jean as he went under to rinse his weird two-toned hair of the nutrient-rich oil.

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.

The dining hall was empty aside from two people assigned to kitchen cleaning duties. Eren sat at the corner of a table as Jean got them whatever was left simmering over embers. He wasn’t serious when he told Jean that Jean should get them both their bowls since Eren had to count stock with him, but Jean was already off before Eren could stop him.

“What a loser,” Eren sighed, resting his cheek on his hand.

“There really wasn’t much…just some bones, fat, and a little bit of the ends of vegetables…” Jean muttered as he sat next to Eren.

“Oh well,” Eren picked up his spoon and started piling bits of soup onto his slice of bread.

“Isn’t that a bit messy?” Jean asked as he dunked his bread instead.

“Nah, you just gotta eat not like a child,” Eren took a swift bite out of it and not a single drop nor soup content was spilt. Jean started spooning soup onto his bread too. “You’re tilting it,” Eren looked over to Jean.

“Wha?” Jean looked to Eren and a carrot top fell off onto his pants.

“Told you so.”

They ate like that for a while: calmly. Eren tried dunking his bread and juggling eating soup and eating bread but resolved it wasn’t as effective. Jean tried again to do the bread boat thing Eren did, but his soup would dribble out the corners of his mouth. When it came time to bring their bowls back, Jean reached for Eren’s but Eren turned away.

“No no, you brought them out, I’ll bring them back. Besides, the dish washers aren’t gone yet, so we at least don’t need to do that.” In truth, the kitchen crew washed dishes but also prepared any leftover food to be used next dinner – there was a shortage these days any ways. “You go to the health office and get those cat scratches checked out,” Eren hadn’t realised that Jean still had that handkerchief tied around his hand.

“A-ah, yeah, I guess I should,” Jean licked his spoon one last time and handed his saucer and bowl to Eren.

“Then you can come and help me bring water to the bathhouse whenever you’re done,” Eren looked to the kitchen once more, as if the kitchen staff would be gone and they would have to do more chores.

“O-okay, I’ll try to hurry!” but Eren was already walking off. Jean stood there for a moment and watched him go before turning and heading off in his own direction.

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“Is it warming up again?” Eren called to Jean. The fire was getting smaller so he went down below to stick more wood in the pit. Jean vaguely answered him. “I can’t hear you!” Again, too quiet. “God damn it…Jean! Speak louder!” He could hear the quiet sound of splashing and then:

“I said it’s good!” Jean poked his head over the entrance to the stairway and yelled, his voice magnified by the echo. Eren flinched but hurried back up to the bath.

“So was it bad? I never asked. Life threatening? Are you gonna die????” Eren asked with a tiny smirk. Jean looked at his bandaged hand.

“Hahaha, shut up – he said if it starts to swell or become puss-y, to come back. Otherwise he just cleaned it with some medical alcohol and wrapped it up – with some gauze, I might add! Not a dirty, bloody, tear-filled hankie,” Jean’s grin was met with a splash.

“I couldn’t stand you bleeding all over everything,” Eren brought water to his face and rubbed.

“W-well…thanks for the concern,” Jean pouted his lips and moved his attention from Eren to a bath leaf which was suddenly much more distracting than it was five words ago.

“Y-yeah, sure thing,” Eren pursed his lips and stirred a leaf in circles. They would have a nice sleep tonight: worked hard and with a hot, hot bath before bed. Soon the only sound was the distant crackling of the fire in the room below.

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The bathhouses were on a half floor in the distant corner of the Legion’s castle. There were three: two large ones for bigger groups, male and female, and a smaller one, which seemed to for personal use of whoever previously owned the castle. Levi, the new lord of said castle, told them to just use the small bath. It had its own door leading to outside as opposed to the two group baths, which shared a hallway. Jean and Eren walked back and forth bringing buckets from the nearby well up the stairs.

“What do you think is there?” Jean heaved as he struggled with his large bucket.

“Where?” Eren asked back, holding his breath as he waddled along quickly. He had a large bucket too.

“Your basement,” Jean had suggested they use medium buckets, but even he didn’t want to take twice as many trips as necessary.

“Oh! I don’t know. I don’t remember ever going there, actually. Just my dad would – you go first,” Eren stopped to let Jean head in before him, “and I think my mum too.”

“Really? Weird. Your dad was a doctor? Maybe he did experiments on people down there.” Jean looked back with a dubious (playful) eyebrow raise.

“Haha, who knows…maybe he did,” the bath was nearly full, just one more trip. Back outside, he began turning the winch and Jean stretched. He tried to think back if anyone, for the matter, was ever seen going down there. Maybe…maybe his dad’s friend…

“Whoa, really?” Jean put his hands on his back and stretched, leaning back as far as he could balance.

“Well, I remember he did something to me before he disappeared,” Eren tried to remember. He tried and tried but he couldn’t get anything.

“What do you mean?” Jean caught the bucket and filled his, then tossed it back down for Eren.

“That’s the weird part…I don’t remember, I just know he did,” Eren’s eyebrows were low in concentration.

“Huh…well, you seem more than healthy, so I think whatever he did was probably to help you,” Jean leaned on a pole supporting the well’s rain roof.

“You think?” Eren looked up at him. Jean looked as confused as him.

“Yeah, I mean, he’s your father, he had to have,” Eren smiled at that, and he saw Jean grin in return. “C’mon, last trip.”


End file.
